More shadows were gathering around me now, more than I'd ever controlled before. They overlapped and twisted together, creating shapes that didn't quite make sense, forms that I couldn't recognize.
I knew I should calm down. I knew this was exactly the kind of situation where losing control would get everyone killed. Just like how my shadow self had killed Lucian's father. But Ronan was still unconscious, Elias and the others were hurt, and this monster had been torturing my mother for who knew how long.
I didn't even want to think about it.
Instead of pulling back, I pushed harder.
My shadows surged outward, wrapping around the others like protective cocoons. I pulled Ronan, Elias, Dante, Giovanni, Nicklaus, and my mother into one corner of the chamber, shielding them with layer upon layer of darkness.
The effort left me breathless, but at least they were safe. At least Marcus couldn't hurt them while I figured out how to—
